
U.S. Patent Dating Chart
For patents on mechanical operation
Use this list to date what year an item was patented.
A Link to English Registry Marks and other links are below the U.S. patents
| Patent Number | Year | Patent Number | Year | Patent Number | Year | ||
| 1 | 1836 | 333,494 | 1886 | 2,026,516 | 1936 | ||
| 110 | 1837 | 355,291 | 1887 | 2,066,309 | 1937 | ||
| 1,106 | 1838 | 395,305 | 1889 | 2,104,004 | 1938 | ||
| 1,465 | 1840 | 418,665 | 1890 | 2,142,080 | 1939 | ||
| 1,923 | 1841 | 443,987 | 1891 | 2,185,170 | 1940 | ||
| 2,413 | 1842 | 466,315 | 1892 | 2,227,418 | 1941 | ||
| 2,901 | 1843 | 488,976 | 1893 | 2,268,540 | 1942 | ||
| 3,395 | 1844 | 511,744 | 1894 | 2,307,007 | 1943 | ||
| 3,873 | 1845 | 531,619 | 1895 | 2,338,081 | 1944 | ||
| 4,348 | 1846 | 552,502 | 1896 | 2,391,856 | 1945 | ||
| 4,914 | 1847 | 574,369 | 1897 | 2,413,675 | 1947 | ||
| 5,409 | 1848 | 596,467 | 1898 | 2,433,824 | 1948 | ||
| 5,993 | 1849 | 616,871 | 1899 | 2,457,797 | 1949 | ||
| 6,981 | 1850 | 640,167 | 1900 | 2,492,944 | 1950 | ||
| 7,865 | 1851 | 664,827 | 1901 | 2,536,016 | 1951 | ||
| 8,622 | 1852 | 690,385 | 1902 | 2,580,379 | 1952 | ||
| 9,512 | 1853 | 717,521 | 1903 | 2,624,046 | 1953 | ||
| 10,358 | 1854 | 748,567 | 1904 | 2,664,562 | 1954 | ||
| 12,117 | 1855 | 778,834 | 1905 | 2,698,434 | 1955 | ||
| 14,009 | 1856 | 808,618 | 1906 | 2,728,913 | 1956 | ||
| 16,324 | 1857 | 839,799 | 1907 | 2,775,752 | 1957 | ||
| 19,010 | 1858 | 875,679 | 1908 | 2,818,973 | 1958 | ||
| 22,477 | 1859 | 908,436 | 1909 | 2,866,973 | 1959 | ||
| 26,642 | 1860 | 945,010 | 1910 | 2,919,443 | 1960 | ||
| 31,005 | 1861 | 980,178 | 1911 | 2,966,681 | 1961 | ||
| 34,045 | 1862 | 1,013,095 | 1912 | 3,015,103 | 1962 | ||
| 37,266 | 1863 | 1,049,326 | 1913 | 3,070,801 | 1963 | ||
| 41,047 | 1864 | 1,083,267 | 1914 | 3,116,487 | 1964 | ||
| 45,685 | 1865 | 1,123,212 | 1915 | 3,163,865 | 1965 | ||
| 51,784 | 1866 | 1,166,419 | 1916 | 3,226,729 | 1966 | ||
| 60,658 | 1867 | 1,210,389 | 1917 | 3,295,143 | 1967 | ||
| 72,959 | 1868 | 1,251,458 | 1918 | 3,360,800 | 1968 | ||
| 85,503 | 1869 | 1,290,027 | 1919 | 3,419,907 | 1969 | ||
| 98,460 | 1870 | 1,326,899 | 1920 | 3,487,470 | 1970 | ||
| 110,617 | 1871 | 1,364,063 | 1921 | 3,551,909 | 1971 | ||
| 122,304 | 1872 | 1,401,948 | 1922 | 3,631,539 | 1972 | ||
| 134,504 | 1873 | 1,440,362 | 1923 | 3,707,729 | 1973 | ||
| 146,120 | 1874 | 1,478,996 | 1924 | 3,781,914 | 1974 | ||
| 158,350 | 1875 | 1,521,590 | 1925 | 3,858,241 | 1975 | ||
| 171,641 | 1876 | 1,568,040 | 1926 | 3,930,271 | 1976 | ||
| 185,813 | 1877 | 1,612,700 | 1927 | 4,000,520 | 1977 | ||
| 198,733 | 1878 | 1,654,521 | 1928 | 4,065,812 | 1978 | ||
| 211,078 | 1879 | 1,696,897 | 1929 | 4,131,952 | 1979 | ||
| 223,211 | 1880 | 1,742,181 | 1930 | 4,180,867 | 1980 | ||
| 236,137 | 1881 | 1,787,424 | 1931 | 4,242,757 | 1981 | ||
| 251,685 | 1882 | 1,839,190 | 1932 | 4,308,622 | 1982 | ||
| 269,820 | 1883 | 1,892,663 | 1933 | 4,366,579 | 1983 | ||
| 291,016 | 1884 | 1,941,449 | 1934 | 4,423,523 | 1984 | ||
| 310,163 | 1885 | 1,985,878 | 1935 | 4,490,885 | 1985 |
The United States patent number for each year is the first patent issued that calendar year.
A patent date is when something was patented, not when it was actually made, many items were manufactured for many years after it the patent was granted.
U.S. Design Patent Dating Chart
These Patent's cover the design of an item, are usually designated with a D in the number.
Design Patent Number |
Year |
Design Patent Number |
Year |
Design Patent Number |
Year |
||
| 1 | 1843 | 17,995 | 1888 | 88,847 | 1933 | ||
| 15 | 1844 | 18,830 | 1889 | 91,258 | 1934 | ||
| 27 | 1845 | 19,553 | 1890 | 94,179 | 1935 | ||
| 44 | 1846 | 20,439 | 1891 | 98,045 | 1936 | ||
| 103 | 1847 | 21,275 | 1892 | 102,601 | 1937 | ||
| 163 | 1848 | 22,092 | 1893 | 107,738 | 1938 | ||
| 209 | 1849 | 22,994 | 1894 | 112,765 | 1939 | ||
| 258 | 1850 | 23,922 | 1895 | 118,358 | 1940 | ||
| 341 | 1851 | 25,037 | 1896 | 124,503 | 1941 | ||
| 431 | 1852 | 26,482 | 1897 | 130,989 | 1942 | ||
| 540 | 1853 | 28,113 | 1898 | 134,717 | 1943 | ||
| 626 | 1854 | 29,916 | 1899 | 136,946 | 1944 | ||
| 683 | 1855 | 32,055 | 1900 | 139,862 | 1945 | ||
| 753 | 1856 | 33,813 | 1901 | 142,386 | 1946 | ||
| 860 | 1857 | 35,547 | 1902 | 145,165 | 1947 | ||
| 973 | 1858 | 36,187 | 1903 | 147,368 | 1948 | ||
| 1,075 | 1859 | 36,723 | 1904 | 151,235 | 1949 | ||
| 1,183 | 1860 | 37,280 | 1905 | 155,686 | 1950 | ||
| 1,366 | 1861 | 37,766 | 1906 | 160,404 | 1951 | ||
| 1,508 | 1862 | 38,391 | 1907 | 164,568 | 1952 | ||
| 1,703 | 1863 | 38,980 | 1908 | 168,527 | 1953 | ||
| 1,879 | 1864 | 39,737 | 1909 | 171,241 | 1954 | ||
| 2,018 | 1865 | 40,424 | 1910 | 173,777 | 1955 | ||
| 2.239 | 1866 | 41,063 | 1911 | 176,490 | 1956 | ||
| 2,533 | 1867 | 42,073 | 1912 | 179,467 | 1957 | ||
| 2,858 | 1868 | 43,415 | 1913 | 181,829 | 1958 | ||
| 3,304 | 1869 | 46,098 | 1914 | 184,204 | 1959 | ||
| 3,810 | 1870 | 46,813 | 1915 | 186,973 | 1960 | ||
| 4,547 | 1871 | 48,358 | 1916 | 189,516 | 1961 | ||
| 5,452 | 1872 | 50,117 | 1917 | 192,004 | 1962 | ||
| 6,336 | 1873 | 51,629 | 1918 | 194,304 | 1963 | ||
| 7,083 | 1874 | 52,836 | 1919 | 197,269 | 1964 | ||
| 7,969 | 1875 | 54,359 | 1920 | 199,995 | 1965 | ||
| 8,884 | 1876 | 56,844 | 1921 | 203,379 | 1966 | ||
| 9,686 | 1877 | 60,121 | 1922 | 206,567 | 1967 | ||
| 10,385 | 1878 | 61,748 | 1923 | 209,732 | 1968 | ||
| 10,975 | 1879 | 63,675 | 1924 | 213,084 | 1969 | ||
| 11,567 | 1880 | 66,346 | 1925 | 216,419 | 1970 | ||
| 12,082 | 1881 | 69,170 | 1926 | 219,637 | 1971 | ||
| 12,647 | 1882 | 71,722 | 1927 | 222,793 | 1972 | ||
| 13,508 | 1883 | 74,159 | 1928 | 225,695 | 1973 | ||
| 14,528 | 1884 | 77,347 | 1929 | 229,729 | 1974 | ||
| 15,678 | 1885 | 80,254 | 1930 | 234,032 | 1975 | ||
| 16,451 | 1886 | 82,966 | 1931 | 238,316 | 1976 | ||
| 17,046 | 1887 | 85,903 | 1932 | 242,881 | 1977 |
The number for each year is the first design patent issued that year. The first year for design patents was 1843. Design patents refer to any new ornamental design for an item. The design patent protects only the appearance of an article, but not its structural or functional features.
The U.S. Patent & Trademark office now has some of it's database online, with more coming.
United States Patent & Trademark Office
To search and view patents click on the link below:
If you are lucky the date is close to the end/beginning of the year. Go to issued patents-quick search/change year to 1790-present. Put the patent number to start in Term 1 ~ Patent Number I.E .In 1883 the patents issued were #s 269,820-291,015 They issue patents one day a week. Approximately 350-450 patents per week (avg 408 per week). Example... To find Patents issued on DEC 4th Starting at #291015 subtract +/- 2 weeks = appx. 750 and see where you are. If you are later than dec 4th start searching backward until you find the first 12/4/83 patent after that just keep subtacting one number until you find what you are looking for. If you land at a dec 4th date go forward until you find the end then go back to that 1st number and back up until you find it.To actually view the patent images you will need a plug in for your browser, Internet Explorer, Netscape, or Opera, called a Tiff viewer. The link below is for a free TIFF viewer you can download and install, this is one recommended by the patent office. It is a small download:
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